19K and Counting: Advertising Management Student Builds a Personal Social Media Brand
With a passion for content creation, Landon Sundelius is making the most of his time at MSU, online and off
By: Johanna Williams
Landon Sundelius, a senior advertising management student, has been posting content on social media for years. With over 19K followers and 2.8 million likes on TikTok, he has made his time on campus unforgettable in a very public way.
Sundelius began posting seriously on social media when he came to college. He primarily focuses his content on MSU-related topics. His most popular and favorite videos to post are “day in the life” vlogs in which he showcases what life is like as an MSU student, whether it’s simply riding the bus to class or an exciting night at a basketball game. These videos have gained so much attention that he is even sometimes recognized in public.
“A few people have come up to me, and they still do sometimes. They’ll ask me if I post, and I think it’s super fun… it’s connecting me with many people,” said Sundelius.
To further his social media career, Sundelius has found his time in the advertising management program particularly helpful. Through advertising courses, he has learned how to boost his personal brand and effectively manage successful social media accounts through various ways, such as looking at consumer analytics and engagement of social media posts to determine what does well on different platforms. This type of classwork sets Sundelius up for success when he is curating his social media presence.
“I learned about brands and promotions in the [advertising] classes,” Sundelius said. “They’re all still applicable because you are your own personal brand… I can connect them back to making content on social media; it gives me a perspective on how this works in the real world.”
With Sundelius’s remarkable success on social media, he has now turned his passion into a profitable venture. By posting videos that have resonated with his audience, he earns a substantial income through the TikTok Creator Fund. One of his most notable successes was a TikTok from a Sabrina Carpenter concert, which earned him over $2,000.
“Each video has a different amount you make per thousand views, which can range anywhere from 30 cents to $2, so each video you look at, it’s so different,” said Sundelius. “It’s really rewarding to see that it pays off, and then it makes you want to keep going.”
Beyond his own content, Sundelius also helps manage his father, Nick Baumgartner, a four-time Olympic snowboarder and a gold-medalist’s, social media account. With this unique opportunity, Sundelius has acquired great experience producing content for other large social media accounts, making videos with over a million views.
“He’ll record videos while he’s traveling and training and send me an example video of one he likes. I’ll put his clips together and make videos for him to post,” Sundelius said.
With a growing online presence, professional-level experience, and a background in advertising, Sundelius’ career is just getting started.
To stay up to date with Sundelius’ content, visit: